A conventional plug connector of the aforedescribed type is produced by the British firm Molex and is generally provided in the form of a so-called knife blade connector. The insulating housing of the plug is of a two-part construction. In one part, a plurality of metal contacts is embedded, corresponding in number to the number of conductors of the cable to be connected and the second insulating part is locked onto the first to press the conductors into engagement with the metal contact elements of the first part.
The coupler of the connector has fork-shaped contact elements which can be connected by solder junction or lugs to a circuit-board. To effect connection between the plug and coupler, the plug is inserted in an inclined orientation to a receptacle in the coupler until the metal contact elements of the plug are juxtaposed with countercontacts of the coupler. The plug is then swung through an angle of about 25.degree. into a defined end position in which it can be locked. In this position the connector is mechanically and electrically fixed and the contacts of the plug firmly engage the contacts of the coupler by an opposite sequence of operations, the plug can be removed from the coupler, i.e. the plug can be swung back to its first position and then withdrawn in a force-free manner.
Because the original insertion and removal of the plug portion of the connector can be effected in a more or less force-free manner, the plug connector has many advantages over other connection systems and similar plug connectors have been fabricated by other manufacturers. Nevertheless, in all of these systems, the construction of the plug portion or member of the connector is somewhat more complex than is necessary.